New Jersey's Corruption Scandal: The Israeli Connection

[deathmetal]

Gotta love the madoff connection - and this:

'Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies in Jerusalem, explains that some parts of the ultra-orthodox community tend to disregard secular law, despite a tenacious adherence to the minutest detail of Jewish religious ritual. Says Halevi: "You have a kind of borderless community that in its best expressions maintains international charity efforts that are second to none. But the dark side of this is a mentality that often too easily slides into rationalizations for acts that cannot be rationalized, with the idea that the end justifies the means. Here we are raising money for charitable institutions, and therefore we're allowed to cut corners." Halevi adds: "There have been other examples in the past of drug-running happening under cover of certain religious institutions here. There have been too many examples of abuse in the past.'

Link:

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/w ... orld-yahoo

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

Is it the money, the Talmud, the "Dreams of Control", the Bagels? The sheer Chutzpah? Standing above the law? Getting one over on the Goyim? Stealing for Israel? Ripoffs-9/11 Fakeouts, Fallguys and Scams. Hubris?
One Belgian guy  slit his wrists over Madoff-AIG.  

The whole thing simply astounds... :shock:

[kolnidre]

Is it the money, the Talmud, the "Dreams of Control", the Bagels? The sheer Chutzpah? Standing above the law? Getting one over on the Goyim? Stealing for Israel? Ripoffs-9/11 Fakeouts, Fallguys and Scams. Hubris?
One Belgian guy  slit his wrists over Madoff-AIG.  

The whole thing simply astounds... :shock:

One word: exceptionalism

Which could in a way be summed up by the term chutzpah